As healthcare has become integrated and intertwined than ever before, it is crucial to collaborate professionally and communicate effectively across disciplines. Literature confirms that an effective collaboration between physicians and nurses creates satisfying work roles and improves the quality of patient care. Nonetheless, collaboration is not easy in a complex and diverse nursing working ambiance. This paper explores on those communication and leadership strategies that can be helpful for nurses in fostering an interdisciplinary collaboration.
First and the foremost, nurses can use systems thinking to take consensus-based joint decisions . It involves understanding the connections between multiple factors that affect the development of an intricate problem. For instance, nurses must understand the roles and responsibilities of therapists, physicians, pharmacists, and ancillary service workers. It will assist them to look the issue from a broad perspective and encourage them to embrace diverse opinions. It goes without saying that resorting to the broad picture will optimize the communication by improving precision, accuracy, and clarity of ideas and thoughts. Additionally, the application of systems thinking will enable them to take decisions that will adequately suit the clients' interest.
Scholars have further mentioned that the ability to use creative and diverse thinking is one of the important professional characteristics that nurses must possess. This, in practice, can be developed by interprofessional education to nurses. Knowing the basics of other disciplines will engage them in a matured behavior and communication by avoiding individualistic and perfectionist thinking.
It is crucial to acknowledge that the conflict is inevitable because of the different cultural practices between nursing and medicine. While physicians focus on the content( e.g. data and lab reports), nurses place more emphasis on the acknowledgment of ideas and efforts( relational style). Recognizing this difference will pave the way for effective leadership, team-building, and collaboration. Additionally, knowing more about gender communication will give a further fillip to interpersonal collaboration and support.
Technologically speaking, nurses must keep themselves abreast of the latest information about the patient's details. Some health care organizations have provided them with pagers and cell phones so that they can receive instant messages. While technological strides have helped them in imparting instant care to the patients, it can also assist them in developing a close network with professionals from other disciplines.
Last but not the least, an appreciative inquiry is an efficient way of staying connected with the community. It is the practice to emphasize on solutions than problems. This type of communication also involves active listening and positive reward for differences. Collaboration requires nurses to listen to the members carefully and share information and resources with them proactively. Eventually, it will lead to the mutual trust thereby facilitating collaboration and consensus-based decisions.
Succinctly, embracing diversity, understanding thyself, comprehending diverse opinions, multi-dimensional approach, systems thinking, appreciative inquiry and dialogue are some important aspects that can assist nurses in developing a healthy interpersonal relationship and team building. Imbibing these features will further boost up their leadership qualities by shaking off neutral thinking and creativity. As respecting others' perception is at the center of collaboration, diversity training is one aspect that I strongly recommend. Not only it will enhance the confidence of the nurses, but it will also pep up mutual understanding and shared decision-making.
References
Hood, L. (2014). Leddy & Pepper's Conceptual Bases of Professional Nursing. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Lindeke, L. L., & Sieckert, A. M. (2005). Nurse-Physician Workplace Collaboration. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing .
